Because I Said So
by Lanakila91
Summary: Loosely based on the movie "Because I Said So", this story takes place in the future and would probably be consider OOC or AU, whatever the proper term is, but the time period is Casey is 25, Derek is 26. Lizzie and Edwin college and Marti a senior.
1. Chapter 1

Because I Said So

A/N: This is a LWD fanfic. The storyline is loosely based on the movie "Because I Said So". I don't own either….so enjoy! OH! And it takes place in the future, Casey is 25, Derek is 26, so Lizzie and Edwin will be in college and Marti will be a senior.

Chapter 1: Prologue

_Graduation Day _

_Derek and Casey were getting dressed in their separate bedrooms. Casey was looking around her now empty room. She was wearing the last of her clothing. A single tear slid down her face as she looked around. She wiped the tear, got up and walked across the hall to the room she walked to so many times since she moved into this house. She knocked on the door, and a familiar groan answered her. _

"_What do you want?" Derek asked before he even opened the door. _

"_How did you know it was me?" Casey asked opening the door to see Derek struggling with his tie in his still messy room ._

"_The knock. You have a polite knock" Derek grunted out, wrestling with his tie. _

_Casey walked over to him and grabbed the tie from him and tied it for him. He rolled his eyes and let out an annoyed sigh. _

"_What?" Casey asked smoothing out his tie. _

"_I can tie my own tie, I'm a high school graduate" Derek said. _

"_Derek, you were wrestling with that tie like you wrestled with Vicki's bra on her mom's wedding day" Casey said with a giggle. _

"_She told you about that?" Derek asked. _

"_It's okay Derek, I won't tell anybody" Casey said. _

"_Hey Case, if you tell anybody, I'll tell everybody about you and Sam" Derek said. _

"_You wouldn't." Casey said. _

"_As long as no one knows that I couldn't take off a bra, no one will know about how you freaked out when you saw Sam in all his glory" Derek said with a loud laugh. _

_Casey tightened his tie and he started coughing. _

"_CASE!" Derek exclaimed pulling back from her. _

"_What?" Casey asked. _

"_You were choking me." Derek said flatly. _

"_Sorry" Casey said, "Derek, why did you decide to stay in town?" Casey asked looking at all of his belongings. _

"_Well, it started out with me not getting into any University in North America" Derek said. _

"_Oh" Casey said noticing the anger in his voice. _

"_Yeah, now lets just go graduate so you can go off to University and come home at Christmas and rub my nose in your academic success" Derek said. _

_Casey's jaw dropped at the comment, "Derek Venturi, you had four years to get your act together, to have the chance to go off to university, but you slacked off and messed around with everything with two legs and breasts, so don't give me your sob story" _

_Casey turned and stormed out of the room , slamming Derek's door. The only framed picture on the wall shook and fell to the ground. Derek walked over and picked it up, he looked down and smiled. It was the picture that George and Nora forced the kids to take after they got married. It was the only picture he framed and hung on the wall. He ran his thumb across it and lingered on Casey's face. Little did he know, graduation would be the last day that he saw her. _

PRESENT DAY

Casey woke up the next morning and sighed. She had the same dream again. Remembering the fight she had with Derek , the last time she saw him. Back, all those years ago, Casey had left London right after she graduated, the next morning she took off. Derek didn't even bother to wake up and see her off. Then her first college boyfriend knocked her up, and she came home, wanting to keep her baby and treat right, but a few weeks after she returned she had a miscarriage and lost the baby. She was in so much pain after that that she didn't want to return to school, so she enrolled at the local community college to get her degree. At 25 Casey is still living at home while Derek is nowhere to be found.

Derek looked out the window of the airplane at the rising sun. He signed. He was returning home for the first time since he graduated from high school. After his fight with Casey, he left. The morning that she left, he hopped on a bus to anywhere, anywhere but there. He never contacted his family, never contacted anyone from London. He missed them, but he was afraid to let them know where he was. What he was doing. He was afraid they would mention her. Mention how successful she was. While he ran away from home to afraid to face anybody again, the failure of the MacDonald-Venturi clan. While Derek was gone, he did do one thing he was proud of. His name was Darrell and was 6 years old.

The plane landed in the London airport and Derek walked off, holding his sons hand.

"Daddy, where are we going?" Darrell asked.

"We're going home" Derek said softly.

A/N: So? Whaddya think?


	2. Welcome Home Derek

Because I Said So

A/N: This is a LWD fanfic. The storyline is loosely based on the movie "Because I Said So". I don't own either….so enjoy! OH! And it takes place in the future, Casey is 25, Derek is 26, so Lizzie and Edwin would be in college and Marti will be a senior in high school.

Chapter 2: Home Again

Derek pulled up to his childhood home in his rental car. He parked it on the street and exited the car. He looked up at the front door, still the same color. The house hadn't looked like it changed, except for he knew the people inside weren't the kids he once knew. And he knew Casey wouldn't be the girl he fell in love with.

Derek walked around and opened up the door to the backseat so Darrell could exit. Darrell slowly got out of the car and looked at the house.

"Is this our new home Daddy?" he asked grabbing Derek's hand.

"I hope so" Derek said beginning to walk up the steps to the front door.

Derek knocked three times on the front door. The door swung open and he was face to face with no one other than Casey.

Casey looked at the man standing at her front door and her jaw dropped.

"Derek?" Casey asked in a soft voice.

"Hi Case" Derek said, swallowing the lump in his throat.

Casey lunged through the door and wrapped her arms tightly around Derek, squeezing Darrell in the middle.

"You're squishing me!" Darrell yelped out.

Casey jumped back and looked down and saw a young boy with sandy blonde hair and familiar brown eyes.

"Derek who is this?" Casey asked.

"Casey, this is Darrell, my son" Derek said.

"You have a son?" Casey asked.

"A lot can happen in 8 years Case" Derek said.

"Casey who's at the door?" Nora called from the kitchen.

"You'll never guess" Casey said motioning for Derek to enter.

Nora walked into the living room and dropped the cup she was holding. Juice splattered everywhere onto the floor. Her eyes filled up with tears and her hand covered her mouth. She ran over to Derek and pulled him into a tight embrace, similar to Casey's.

"It's nice to see you too Nora" Derek breathed out.

Nora released him and then hit him.

"Ow! What was that for?" Derek asked.

"8 years, no phone calls, no letters, no e-mails, not even a telegram!" Nora said, "We were worried sick, for a few days we thought you were dead!"

"Daddy, I have to potty" Darrell said from behind Derek's legs.

"Daddy?" Nora said looking around Derek.

Derek squatted down next to Darrell.

"Darrell this is Nora, your grandma" Derek said.

Darrell looked up at her for a second, Nora till speechless, and then ran up too her and gave her a big hug.

"Gramma Nora!" Darrell said.

Nora picked up the little boy and squeezed him tight, a few tears sliding down her cheek.

George then walked downstairs, "What was that cra-" but then stopped when he saw who was standing in his living room. He ran down the rest of his stairs and grabbed his son, "Derek"

Derek returned the hug, "Hey Dad"

Nora put Darrell down and looked at George, "George, there's someone you should probably meet".

George released Derek and looked at Nora, her hands on a little boys shoulders.

"My grandson?" George asked looking at Derek.

Derek nodded. George walked over to him and squatted down and held out his hand, "Hi, I'm your grandpa, George"

Darrell smirked and put his hand in his and shook it, "I'm Darrell."

Darrell let go of George's hand and hugged him. Suddenly the front door opened and in walked a very much older Marti. She was tall and slender and had defineatley developed the way a woman should. She had raven black hair and pale white skin. She wore heavy eye makeup and an obscure band t-shirt with skinny jeans and converse. Derek's jaw dropped when he saw her.

"Smarti?" He asked softly.

Marti turned her head and did a double take, "SMEREK!" she shouted bounding toward him, throwing herself into his arms and knocking him onto the ground.

"Guess I'm not that little girl I used to be" she said with a giggle.

"No you are certainly not, let me look at you" Derek said pushing her off of him.

Marti stood up and spun in a circle, "Your little Smarti is all grown up"

"I can't believe your 17, you're a senior in high school, when I left you still believed in fairies" Derek said.

"I still do believe in fairies" Marti said with a serious expression on her face.

"You're joking me?" Derek asked.

Casey shook her head, "Marti is very into the weird, like fairies, witch craft, ya know, freaky stuff"

Marti rolled her eyes, "You guy's just don't understand. Anyways, Derek I'm glad your home! I'm gonna go Facebook Lizzie and Edwin and tell them. They're going to be so excited" Marti said bounding up the stairs. Stopping once too take a double take of the living room scene.

"Dad, who's that?" Marti said pointing to Darrell.

"Smarti, that's my son Darrell. Darrell that's your Auntie Smarti" Derek said.

Darrell eyed Marti, and Marti eyed Darrell. The Marti shrugged her shoulders, "Nice to meet ya kid, welcome to the family"

Darrell giggled, "Auntie Smarti, that's a funny name"

Marti laughed, "Kid, you're in a funny family," her eyes then landed on Derek and then Casey, "Trust me, a very funny family".

Marti finished going up the stairs and they heard a familiar door slam.

"Hey! Marti got my room?" Derek asked.

"Well, you were gone, we didn't know where you were or when you were coming back. Then we were going to let Lizzie have Casey's room and Edwin have yours, but Casey came home much sooner than we expected, so Lizzie stuck with her room, and Edwin stayed in his. But Marti slept in your room half the time anyways because she missed you. After a few years we decided to pack up what you had left behind and let Marti move in." Nora explained.

Derek looked at her bewildered, "Where am I supposed to sleep?"

Nora shrugged her shoulders, "There's three empty bedroom, Lizzie's, Edwin's, and Marti's. You pick."

Darrell pulled on Derek's pant leg, "Daddy, I still have to potty."

A/N: So….? Also, I'm very bad with grammar, and I hate proofreading, so if anybody is interested in being my beta, I think that's the word, but basically a person to read what I write before I post and give me feedback on the content and point out any grammatical and/or spelling errors I may have, I would be eternally grateful and will thank you every chapter for being awesome! So, if you're interested shoot me a message! Oh yeah, and comment!!!


	3. Family Dinner

Because I Said So

A/N: This is a LWD fanfic. The storyline is loosely based on the movie "Because I Said So". I don't own either….so enjoy! OH! And it takes place in the future, Casey is 25, Derek is 26, so Lizzie and Edwin would be in college and Marti will be a senior in high school.

Chapter 3: Family Dinner

The day passed quickly for Derek, as he expected. It was filled with millions of questions about what he's been doing, how he's been, how Darrell came to be, where his mother is, and others similar to that. In all the hustle and bustle, Casey remained quiet, just staring at Derek. Derek acted like he didn't notice but could feel Casey's eyes on him every second of his pseudo-interrogation by his parents. Soon, the clock had hit 5 and Darrell tugged on Nora's sleeve.

"Gramma Nora, I'm hungry" he said.

Nora looked up at the clock, "Oh my! It's five o'clock. I completely forgot about dinner and I have nothing planned."

"Well, I'll call Lizzie and Ed, and have them pick something up. They're coming over tonight since Derek finally decided to come home," George said, pulling his cell phone out of his pocket.

"Lizzie and Edwin are coming over? Where do they go to school?" Derek asked.

"University of Western Ontario" Casey finally said, "Lizzie got a full ride soccer scholarship, so Mom and George were able to pay for Edwin. Plus, their jobs definitely help with the cost of school."

"So they didn't go far from home, eh? Guess they weren't as brave as me and you, eh Casey." Derek joked.

The entire room went silent, and Casey's eyes fell to the floor.

"What'd I say?" Derek asked, worried.

"Nothing Derek; It isn't like you knew what happened," Nora said.

"What happened?" Derek asked.

No one said a word.

"Tell me what happened!" Derek asked again.

Casey looked up at Derek and sighed, "I didn't last very long at Oxford."

"How long did you last?"

"One semester."

"One semester? I figured you would be taking the world by storm right about now!"

"It wasn't that I couldn't keep up. I just got in over my head. I had met this really cute boy who worked at a pub by the campus, and we hit it off right away. One thing led to another, and soon I felt like a character from one of my Jane Austen novels, and then one thing really led to another and next thing I knew, I was pregnant."

"Wait, what about the guy? What did he do when he found out about the baby?" Derek asked.

"Well, he wanted me to get an abortion but said that whatever I decided he would go along with it." Casey said.

"So, you got an abortion? That doesn't explain why you came home," Derek said.

"Well, I wanted to keep the baby. He was cool with that but after a couple of weeks he became really distant, and I couldn't go through this by myself. My roommate was nice, but I didn't feel that close to her, so it was really awkward. Therefore, after my final exams, I packed up and came home." Casey said, wiping a few stray tears away.

"Well, if you came home then where's the baby?" Derek asked and soon regretted it when he saw Casey completely break down.

"Casey lost the baby. A month after she came home, she had a miscarriage. It was the hardest thing she has ever gone through," Nora said, walking over to Casey to comfort her.

"How far along was she?" Derek asked.

"3 months" Nora said.

"Oh…Casey, I'm so sorry." Derek said.

Darrell walked over to Casey and hugged her, wiping a few tears away. "Auntie Casey, don't be sad."

Casey smiled and held the young man against her. "Thanks sweetie."

"I bet that my Mommy is taking care of your baby up in heaven right now," Darrell said.

"Your Mommy's in heaven?" Casey asked, looking up at Derek.

"Yeah. Mommy went to heaven when I was real little. But Daddy says that she's always with me," Darrell said.

"Derek, you didn't tell me…" Casey began.

"Laura was sick. When I met her I didn't know she was sick, and she withheld that fact until she was pregnant. She told me that after she had the baby she wouldn't last very long, and she didn't. Right after Darrell's first birthday she died." Derek explained.

"Were you ever married?" Casey asked.

Derek shook his head, "No, we were never married. But we were very much in love, and it is one loss that almost made me come home, but throwing Darrell into a huge family right after his mother died, that would have been too much for him. Hell it would have been too much for me. So I stayed with Laura's family for a while. Then I found a job in California, and we lived there until I decided to come back home"

"Why did you leave Derek?" Casey asked.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Nora got up to answer it and saw Lizzie and Edwin standing there with grins on their faces and 4 pizzas.

"Hey guys, come on in!" Nora said, walking away from the front door.

Lizzie and Edwin entered the home and put the pizzas on the dining room table. Derek stood up to greet his younger siblings. Edwin and Lizzie both rushed over to him, Lizzie jumped at Derek, almost knocking him to the ground.

"Derek, we missed you so much" Lizzie said, stressing the so.

"Yeah dude, high school wasn't the same without my big bro's guidance," Edwin said, shaking his hand.

Derek just stared at the two kids standing in front of him. Lizzie had grown a few more inches, being Casey's height. She let her hair grow down until it reached her butt. She had matured much more than Casey had, Derek noticed. He then quickly averted his attention to her sparkling green eyes. Not much had changed about her face. She still looked like the little tomboy he met 10 years ago.

Edwin, his little brother Edwin, had grown into a man. He kept his hair short and very businesslike. His face had matured, his features more defined. A strong chin, broad shoulders, strong chest, and boy had he grown. He was now taller than Derek. Derek could not believe his eyes.

"Wow, I really should have come home earlier. I can barely recognize you guys. You've grown up so much," Derek said, "Especially you, Lizzie"

Casey rolled her eyes and muttered, "Same old Derek"

"What?" Darrell asked Casey.

"Oh, nothing sweetie. Derek, shouldn't you introduce Lizzie and Edwin to their nephew?" Casey asked.

"Nephew?" Lizzie and Edwin asked at the same time.

"Oh right. While I was away, I had a kid. Darrell, come here buddy." Darrell ran over to his dad, "Darrell, this is your Aunt Lizzie and your Uncle Edwin"

Lizzie and Edwin stared at the little one speechless.

Darrell finally broke the silence, "What kind of pizza did you bring?"

Edwin laughed, "He is definitely your son, bro"

Darrell smiled the famous Venturi smile and Lizzie smirked, "There is no doubt in my mind he is a Venturi"

Casey laughed at Lizzie's statement.

"Alright everybody, let's eat" Derek said walking towards the pizza.

"Wait!" Darrell exclaimed.

"What?" Derek asked.

"We can't eat until Auntie Smarti get's down here" Darrell said.

"Why don't you go run upstairs and get her" George suggested, and Darrell's eyes lit up, "It's the door with the pink butterfly on it"

Darrell bounded up the stairs. After that Lizzie and Edwin looked at Derek.

"So, you have a kid. When did you meet a girl you actually stayed with long enough to have a kid?" Edwin asked.

"What can I say, I fell in love. His mother was a wonderful woman, and I miss her every day of my life. Especially when I see her in the way his eyes light up when he's happy." Derek explained, a melancholy smile on his face.

"She died?" Lizzie asked.

"Yeah, but it was expected. She told me that after she got pregnant. But that's all in the past. Now I'm home. With Darrell, and we're here to stay." Derek said.

After that was said, they heard Marti shout, "Race ya"

Suddenly, Darrell and Marti were bounding down the stairs. Darrell tripped on his pants toward the very bottom, about three steps from the ground, and he went barreling towards the ground. Everyone's breath hitched, and Marti ran the rest of the steps to get to him. He sat up, and looked around. His eyes were shining, as if he were going to cry. He then stood up and brushed off his pants and shrugged.

"Let's eat!" Darrell said.

"Oh yeah, he's definitely a Venturi" Marti laughed, and they all walked over to the dining room table.

A/N: I would like to thank **stelladelnordxd **for agreeing to being my beta, she is going to be a major help for me! So, tell me what you all think of this chapter, and if you have any questions, in questions at all please ask me. Oh! And with Casey going to Oxford, I know it is a total stretch, but I can see Casey like reaching for the stars and wanting to be a super student. So, I put her there. Also there may be times in the story where I'm not portraying Darrell has being 6, and I'm toying with an idea for his character so bear with me, plus I'm modeling his behavior off of my friends 4 year old son, so at times he may be acting younger than 6. Anyways, thanks for reading my story! You rock for that!

Also, if any of the readers, that means you, have any ideas send me a message. I'm open for anything…plus I often write myself into corners, so all of your ideas are welcome!


	4. Secret's Revealed

Because I Said So

A/N: This is a LWD fanfic. The storyline is loosely based on the movie "Because I Said So". I don't own either….so enjoy! OH! And it takes place in the future, Casey is 25, Derek is 26, so Lizzie and Edwin would be in college and Marti will be a senior in high school.

Chapter 4: Secret's Revealed

The family sat around the dining room table, and it almost felt the same way it did before, only there was no fighting. It was just good old family fun.

Derek took a bite of is pizza and looked over at Edwin, "So, Ed, did you carry on my legacy at good old SJST?"

Edwin looked at Lizzie and smiled, "In a manner of speaking"

Casey's eyes went wide and she kicked Edwin under the table.

"Ow!" Edwin said.

"Who hurt Uncle Edwin?" Darrell asked, "Because daddy says hurting someone is one of the meanest things you can do."

Everyone looked at Derek strangely.

"A guy can change" Derek said, "Anyways, what do you mean Edwin?"

Lizzie exchanged a worried glance from Casey and nudged Edwin. He looked over at her, and she shook her head.

"Oh, you know, hitting on anything with legs" Edwin said.

"And getting rejected by everything with legs" Marti added.

Derek laughed, "Ed, you got rejected by every girl in high school?"

"Not every girl," Edwin said looking over at Lizzie.

"What'd I miss?" Derek asked, catching the glance.

"Nothing." Lizzie said quickly.

"You're lying to me Lizzie." Derek said.

"No I'm not" Lizzie said, taking a sip of water, her hand shaking.

Derek watched her movements and caught sight of something. On her left ring finger was a ring, and not just any ring. It was a gorgeous engagement ring with a huge diamond on it.

"Who's the lucky guy?" Derek asked.

"Hmmm…"Lizzie asked.

"The ring" Derek stated flatly.

"Oh, right…" Lizzie began.

"It's me" Edwin said.

"Wait, what?" Derek asked.

"It's me, I proposed to Lizzie and she said yes"

Derek looked over at George, "Dad?"

"It's true son. They started hanging out a lot after you left. More than usual. Then right about the time that Lizzie broke up with her first real boyfriend, Edwin and her have been a house item."

"Is this what you meant by you sort of kept my legacy alive? By being in love with your step sister?" Derek asked.

"No..." Edwin began.

"Because if it was then it would be ludicrous because I wasn't in love with Casey in high school" Derek said.

"Ludicrous is in your vocabulary?" Casey asked masking the pain she felt from those words.

"Don't lie Derek. We all saw it and we know that's why you left" Marti said.

"Yes Casey, I did learn a few things, and Marti you have no idea what you're talking about, you were 8 when I left."

"So, Smerek, I wasn't blind. I knew what I saw between you and Casey. And you couldn't stand her leaving you, so you left too. Because if Derek left, then he left, no one left him."

Derek stared at Marti. Thoughts flying through his head, but he couldn't form any of them into a sentence.

"It doesn't matter anyways because I didn't have any feelings for Derek in high school" Casey said.

Derek looked at Casey, hurt in his eyes, "Good. Now that that's settled, who wants to watch a movie?"

Derek got up from the table and walked into the living room and fell into his old chair, which had lost his mold, so he was very uncomfortable. Everyone else followed suit except for Casey. As Darrell walked out, he stopped by Casey's chair and hugged her.

While hugging Casey, Darrell whispered in her ear, "If you change your mind about my Daddy, I think you would make a great new Mommy."

A silent tear fell down Casey's face after he said that.

"Thank you" Casey said, "Now go out there and pick out a good movie, okay"

Darrell nodded his head and ran out to the living room shouting, "Auntie Casey said I could pick the movie!"

Casey got up out of her seat and picked cleaned the table off. Went into the kitchen and cried.

A/N: Just short chapter, wasn't sure what I wanted to put there. Hopefully next chapter will be longer.


	5. Late Night Snack

A/N: This is a LWD fanfic. The storyline is loosely based on the movie "Because I Said So". I don't own either….so enjoy! OH! And it takes place in the future, Casey is 25, Derek is 26, so Lizzie and Edwin would be in college and Marti will be a senior in high school.

A/N 2: Sorry it has been so long since the last update….I've been busy-ish, and I haven't really been keeping up on the update I have to read, let alone the ones I write so…I'm back ! And I promise I'm going to pick up ALL my stories…one at a time though. So as soon as I complete this story I'll pick up whichever one I feel compelled to write. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 5: Late Night Snack

The movie had ended and Darrell was passed out on top of Marti, who in turn had fallen asleep on Lizzie's shoulder, who had fallen asleep on Edwin, who had his head leaned back against the couch. George and Nora were trying to keep themselves awake on the couch, Derek was very much awake, sitting uncomfortably in his recliner and Casey was alert on the other end of the couch.

"Mom, the movie's over," Casey said nudging her.

Nora opened her eyes and muttered, "I know. I wasn't sleeping."

Casey rolled her eyes as she got up to wake her sleeping younger siblings.

"Georgie…"Nora said nudging George lightly.

George opened one eye and looked at Nora, "Is it over?"

"Yes and it's time for bed." Nora said standing up and holding out her hand to help her husband off the couch.

"Derek, you and Darrell can sleep in any empty room upstairs, they all have beds" Nora said as she lightly pushed a half awake George to the basement.

Derek nodded as he stood up to pick up his son. Darrell stirred in his sleep, "No," he moaned.

"Shhh…It's okay buddy," Derek whispered lightly as he lifted Darrell off of Marti and turned to go upstairs.

"Wait!" Casey whispered loudly.

"Why?" Derek turned and asked.

"Let me see if Lizzie and Edwin are going to stay the night." Casey said.

Derek rolled his eyes, "There's three bedrooms Case. Whichever one is empty, they'll sleep in."

Derek turned again and began walking up the stairs and Casey stuck her tongue out at his back.

"I saw that," he said chuckling.

Casey grinned slightly.

"Marti…" Casey whispered as she nudged her baby step sister.

"5 more minutes," Marti said as she rolled over and her face hit the floor. She sat up suddenly.

"Where am I?" she asked.

"Downstairs. The movie's over," Casey said.

"Oh…well then I'm off to bed!" Marti said standing up and walking up the stairs looking around, being very aware of her surroundings.

"Now, Lizzie…"Casey said.

Lizzie just stirred and nestled deeper into Edwin's chest.

"Edwin…."Casey said as she leaned in closer to the sleeping couple.

Edwin wrinkled his nose and tightened his grip on Lizzie.

"Apparently, I'm going to have to do this the 'Derek' way." Casey mumbled to herself.

"Sorry Liz…"Casey said as she got really close to Edwin and began whisper very softly in his ear. He twitched. Casey then began to place light kisses down his jaw line. Edwin stirred. Casey then placed one soft kiss on his lips and Edwin slowly opened one eye and saw Casey.

"Casey!" Edwin jumped, knocking Lizzie off of his chest and onto the floor causing her to wake up.

"What happened?" Lizzie asked holding her head.

"Are you okay sweetie?" Edwin asked kissing her head lightly.

"Sorry Edwin, but you guys weren't waking up."Casey said.

"But did you have to do it that way?" Edwin asked.

"That's how I got Derek up every day during our senior year" Casey said.

Edwin's jaw dropped.

"Why do you think he made it to school on time every day" Casey said stressing the word every.

"What did you do?" Lizzie asked.

"Nothing Liz…don't worry about it." Casey said.

"Like hell." Edwin said, "This is going to bite me in the ass someday."

"What is?" Lizzie asked.

"Fine." Casey muttered, "I woke Edwin up by whispering dirty things in his ear and kissing him"

"Casey!" Lizzie said smacking her sister.

"Breathe Liz, I'm not trying to steal your man, I just knew it would wake him up" Casey explained.

"And you did this to Derek?" Lizzie asked.

"Yes, everyday for our entire senior year." Casey said again.

"Wow" Lizzie mouthed silently.

"Well honey, do you want to go home, or do you want to stay the night here?" Edwin asked.

"I'm too tired to drive." Lizzie said.

"Me too. So here it is." Edwin said as he stood up. He held out his hand to help Lizzie up off the floor. As soon as she was up they were off.

"Good night Casey," Lizzie said.

"Yeah, g'nite Casey." Edwin replied while he turned and winked at her.

"Edwin!" Casey said throwing a pillow up at him.

Casey turned to pick up the living room when Derek came downstairs in his pajama pants.

"What do you want?" Casey asked as she walked into the kitchen with empty glasses.

"Darrell likes to have a glass of water by his bed because he gets thirsty in the middle of the night," Derek said following Casey into the kitchen.

"Oh," Casey said as she watched Derek pull a cup from the cupboard and walk over to the sink.

"Not like it's any of your business anyways," Derek said as he turned on the water and filled the cup up half way.

"Why did his mother die?" Casey asked.

"She was sick." Derek said walking out of the kitchen.

"What did she have?" Casey asked.

"Why do you care?"

"Because I care about your son. How did she die?"

"She had brain tumor. It was inoperable. The stress of having a baby made it worse. Right after she delivered she began to slip away. We were spending so much time at the hospital that we didn't even check Darrell out of the nursery until he was a month old. He was the oldest baby in there. We thought she was fine for a few months…then it started happening again. Blurry vision and fainting spells. It was all too much for me to handle. I left Darrell with his mother for a week. And when I came back, she was gone. She had died and I wasn't even there to say goodbye." Derek said, tears falling down his face.

"Derek you didn't know!" Casey said walking up to him.

"No, I did. We all knew she was going to die. We all knew it and I left her alone with our son because I couldn't handle her being sick." The tears began to fall faster.

Casey pulled Derek into a hug, "You couldn't have known."

"I couldn't even say goodbye. I couldn't stick around to say goodbye to the mother of my child, the love of my life. I couldn't do it. I couldn't handle the pain of going to bed every night and not knowing if she would be there in the morning." Derek said into Casey's hair.

"It's okay."

"It'll never be okay. I got to say goodbye to a headstone." Derek said pulling away from Casey, but Casey tightened her grip.

"Remember that you have a beautiful baby boy upstairs right now. A beautiful boy that is part of you and part of Laura and even though she is gone she lives inside both of you every day. Never ever forget that." Casey whispered into his ear.

"Thanks Casey," Derek said as he pulled away wiping the tears from his eyes.

"Daddy, are you okay?" Darrell asked as he walked into the kitchen.

A/N: Tell me what you think and tell me any ideas about where you think this story should go…I'm always open for new ideas.


	6. The Fairy Tale

A/N: This is a LWD fanfic. The storyline is loosely based on the movie "Because I Said So". I don't own either….so enjoy! OH! And it takes place in the future, Casey is 25, Derek is 26, so Lizzie and Edwin would be in college and Marti will be a senior in high school.

Chapter 6: The Fairy Tale

_Previously: _

_"Thanks Casey," Derek said as he pulled away wiping the tears from his eyes._

_"Daddy, are you okay?" Darrell asked as he walked into the kitchen._

Derek and Casey looked over at the child, then looked at each other.

"Of course I am buddy," Derek finally said, his signature smirk emerging onto his face.

"Are you sure? I saw you crying." Darrell said as he walked over to the two adults.

Derek crouched down and looked his son in the eyes, "Would I lie to you?"

Darrell quickly shook his head, "No, you said lying was bad."

"That's right!" Derek stated as he ruffled his hair.

"Auntie Casey, is Daddy lying?" Darrell asked looking up at her.

Casey just looked at the child in shock. She didn't know what to say. She looked down at Derek who slightly shook his head. Casey then joined the two on the ground.

"Come here," Casey said, opening her arms.

Darrel walked over and sat on Casey's lap and she wrapped her arms around the little boy.

"I've known your Daddy a really long time," she began, "and although he is a lot of things he is not a liar."

Darrell studied Casey's face for a moment and then leaned in to whisper something in her ear, "Do you love my Daddy?"

That shocked look graced Casey's face once again. She just stared at Darrell for a few seconds and then looked over at Derek who had a confused look on his face.

"Yes." Casey finally answered.

A big smile lit up on the little one's face.

"Alright D-man, it's time for bed." Derek said standing up and grabbing the child.

"But I'm not tired!" Darrell protested.

"Case, can you grab that water for me?" Derek asked as he began to walk out of the kitchen.

Casey grabbed the water and followed the pair, a smile on her face. When they reached the room Derek softly threw Darrell onto the bed.

"I want a story." Darrell stated.

"It's late buddy, and Daddy's tired," Derek mumbled as he fell onto the bed.

Darrell then looked over at Casey who was setting the water on the nightstand, "Please?" he asked with those puppy dog eyes that made Casey's heart skip a beat.

Casey nodded her head, "Alright what do you want to hear?"

"A fairy tale." Darrell whispered.

"Why are we whispering?" Casey asked.

"Daddy says fairy tales are for girls."

"Well your Daddy is highly mistaken, some of the best fairy tales were written by men!"

"Really? Do you think I could write fairy tales?" Darrell asked wide eyed.

"Anything is possible sweetheart - now, onto the story." Casey stated.

Darrell sat cross-legged on the bed staring at Casey. She looked at him, "I'm not going to tell you a _bed_time story unless you get into _bed._" Casey stated putting stress on the word bed.

"Okay." Darrell mumbled as he got under the covers and scooted over.

Casey sat on the side of the bed and opened her mouth to begin when she was interrupted, "You need to get into bed too."

Casey thought about it for a moment and decided to not fight with the child and crawled into bed with Darrell and Derek. Darrell laid his head on the pillow next to Casey, "Okay, you can start now."

Casey nodded and opened her mouth to begin the story, "Once upon a time there lived a beautiful princess…

The princess's name was Macy. She lived in a beautiful palace with her mother, Queen Zora, and her sister Princess Elizabeth. One week the Queen had business in another kingdom and when she returned she had news. She had married King Greg of the Kingdom of London. They would be leaving their castle and their kingdom behind to live with King Greg and his three children, Prince Eric, Prince Edward, and Princess Martina.

"MOTHER!" Macy screamed from her now empty chambers.

"Macy dear, what is it now?" Zora asked.

"I refuse to leave. I can live here and rule this kingdom. I do not want my evil cousin Duchess Victoria any closer to the crown. It is my crown!" Macy stomped her foot to emphasize her point.

"Macy, we are leaving. My sister and her husband will rule the kingdom, and you will now be closer to the crown of London."

"I have no claim to that crown. That crown belongs to Prince Eric," she scoffed.

"Sweetheart, we have to go. It's been decided, now come, the carriage is waiting." Zora said as she walked out the door.

Macy sighed and slowly left the palace. She took her seat in the carriage and looked out of the window sadly as her home slowly faded away.

When they arrived at King Greg's castle, Macy's jaw dropped. It was bigger than her palace. She could not believe her mother had actually upgraded. She got out of the carriage and walked inside studying every detail of the gorgeous architecture. She then heard a noise and turned around and was face to face with the most breathtaking image she had ever seen. He was tall, had brown hair, deep brown eyes, and a smirk that would make any woman weak in the knees.

The man was awestruck with this creature. She was beautiful. She had long brown hair that cascaded down her back. Her eyes were the bluest he had ever seen. He thought he was certainly in the presence of a heavenly creature.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize there was anybody here," Macy apologized.

"It was my fault." The man assured her.

"Nonsense. I've just never seen a palace as beautiful as this one." Macy responded.

"I know. It is quite amazing. Every generation the family who inhabits this castle adds a little piece of beauty to it," he said.

"Really? How do you know so much about the history?" She asked.

"Well I live here."

"You're Prince Eric?" she asked wide eyed.

"Yes, and you would be…?"

"I'm your new step-sister, Princess Macy."

Needless to say, the attraction between them didn't cool down after their introductions. They wanted to hide their feelings from each other. They started to fight. Macy would let Eric's prince friends court and woo her, and Eric would make a point to court and woo all of Macy's new princess friends.

As they got older, their feelings grew. One night in a heated argument they could not hold it in anymore and they kissed. After that their feelings were announced. It turned out they were in love.

They told their parents about it. They did not like it at first, but they knew they couldn't keep their children apart so they let it happen.

So Prince Eric and Princess Macy were married and they lived happily ever after.

Casey yawned and looked over to find Darrell fast asleep. She thought about getting out of bed and returning to her own room, but decided against it. She closed her eyes and was asleep in minutes.

Derek sat up on one elbow and looked over at a sleeping Casey. He leaned over and planted a soft kiss on her lips, "That was an amazing story Princess."

Derek then lay down and fell asleep.

A/N: So? I know a lot of you were looking for the Dasey, and there was the beginning...so review and let me know what you think.


	7. Pain

A/N: This is a LWD fanfic. The storyline is loosely based on the movie "Because I Said So". I don't own either….so enjoy! OH! And it takes place in the future, Casey is 25, Derek is 26, so Lizzie and Edwin would be in college and Marti will be a senior in high school.

Chapter 7: Pain

The next morning Casey woke up and looked around the room she was in and noticed that it wasn't her room. She rolled over and saw Darrell sleeping next to her and it was then that she remembered. She carefully got out of the bed, trying to not wake the two sleeping boys. She slowly tiptoed out of the room and shut the door quietly. As she turned to walk down the hall she hit someone's chest. She looked up to see no one other than Derek standing there smirking at her.

"Trying to sneak out before saying good morning?" Derek asked.

"No," Casey began, "Just didn't want to wake Darrell. It is early, you know."

Derek looked at the clock in the hallway, "It's 10:30."

"You let me sleep until 10:30? I have things that have to be done, Derek! I can't sleep all the time!"

"Case, relax. It's Saturday. There can't be anything that important that must be done on Saturday."

Casey rolled her eyes. She and Derek just stood there in silence.

Suddenly the silence was broken by the chorus of "Barbie Girl" by Aqua and Casey quickly pulled out her cell phone to take the call.

"Hey Em, what's up?" Casey asked hearing Derek laugh to himself in the background.

"What are you doing tonight?"

"Well, Derek decided to show up last night after 8 years of us worrying, so probably stay in and catch up. Why?"

"Well Sheldon has this friend coming in to town for the month and…"

"No."

"But you haven't even heard the question."

"I already know what you're going to ask."

"No you don't."

"Fine, ask."

"Sheldon's friend is going to be in town for the month and he would really like a beautiful woman to show him a good time."

"Show him a good time? Emily, you're making me sound like a hooker."

"Well you haven't had sex since you came back…"

"That's not true!"

"Casey when was the last time you went out with a guy?"

"I went for drinks with Max 6 months ago."

"And what happened while you were out?"

"He came out."

"Exactly. We both know you need this."

"Fine. When and where?"

"That's my girl! Tonight at 8pm at the Blue Cockatoo."

"I'll see you tonight. Bye!" Casey ended the call quickly and grumbled.

"Hot date tonight?" Derek asked snidely.

"You sat there the entire time and listened to my conversation?"

"I just had to know who's ringtone was Barbie Girl."

Casey responded with a low growl and stalked off to her bedroom.

"Just out of curiosity Case, what's my ringtone?"

"It was 'Dirty Little Secret' but I gave up waiting for that song to come blaring out of my phone so I deleted your contact info because you apparently didn't want to be found." Casey said shutting the door in his face.

Derek stared at the door for a moment before opening it again.

"Where do you get off…" he began when Casey cut him off.

"Where do I get off? You were the one who left Derek."

"No Case, we both left."

"No, I went to college, you just up and left."

"You just don't know Casey."

"Enlighten me Derek"

"I just couldn't handle it!"

"Handle what?"

"You and your success. You went to Oxford for crying out loud! How was I supposed to keep up with that?"

"You had all the same chances as I did to succeed."

"No Casey, I really didn't."

"Derek, you had the potential to be really smart."

"Casey, that's not really it. I was intimidated by you. I loved you so much and you left me. I couldn't handle thinking about what you were doing England. I had to leave, to forget you."

"Get out."

"What?"

"Get out now!"

"Why?"

Tears started streaming down her face. She clutched her stomach and feel to the ground.

"Please just go." She whispered.

Derek didn't know what to do. So he left. He left her crying in her room. When the door closed, the floodgates behind Casey's eyes opened and began to flow. All the emotion she had kept bottled up was finally let loose. The pain of Derek leaving, the pain of losing her child, and the pain of Derek returning.


	8. The Blue Cockatoo

A/N: This is a LWD fanfic. The storyline is loosely based on the movie "Because I Said So". I don't own either….so enjoy! OH! And it takes place in the future, Casey is 25, Derek is 26, so Lizzie and Edwin would be in college and Marti will be a senior in high school.

Chapter 8: The Blue Cockatoo

Casey emerged from her bedroom after hours of crying and sleeping, mulling over what to wear that night. She debated on asking for a male opinion, but her only option would have been the one man she did not want to talk to at the moment, so she decided against it. Her brilliant solution to the problem was to take a picture and send it to Lizzie to get Edwin's opinion. The solution turned out to be not so helpful considering she got a similar reaction to each ensemble; "cute". So she finally emerged in a short black shimmery one shoulder dress and a pair of black heels. Her hair was loosely curled and hung down, her bangs and other stray hairs near the front of her face into a bump at the crown on her head. Her makeup was dark, the smoky eye look perfected around her eyes and a dark red color stained her lips.

Derek had been waiting near Casey's bedroom door since she slammed it in his face. He was trying to figure out the best way to say,"I'm sorry I disappeared for 8 years. I only did it because I loved you and I couldn't stand living without you." So far, the original blunt statement was the best way to say it. When the door finally opened Derek stood and opened his mouth to begin his speech when he lost the ability to perform all motor skills. One look at her and he was rendered useless as a human being. He hadn't been that dumbfounded since he"took" Casey to the prom.

"What do you want?" Casey asked when she saw Derek.

"I uh…" Derek began.

Casey shook her head, "I don't have time for this. I'm already late." She stated before quickly walking down the stairs.

"Hot date?" Marti asked when she saw her.

"Blind date," Casey stated thoroughly unenthused.

"Emily?"

"Sheldon's friend is in town for the month and he wants a beautiful girl to show him a good time."

"When did Emily become your pimp?"

"My thoughts exactly," Casey looked at her watch, "I was supposed to be there 10 minutes ago. SHIT!" Casey opened the front door and walked quickly to her car. After a 15 minute drive and 20 minutes looking for parking Casey finally made it to the Blue Cockatoo. When she walked in she scanned the room quickly for her friend. She finally spotted her sitting next to Sheldon in a back corner table. She attempted to flag her down but Emily was oblivious to her flails. She took out her phone and quickly texted her. A moment later, Emily excused herself from the table and walked over to her friend.

"You're late." Emily said.

"Rough day," Casey said, "So tell me about him."

"His name is Ryan, he's 27, foreign, and totally hot!"

"Sheldon knows a foreign guy?"

"Pen pal from when he was younger. They corresponded for like 5 years, then when Sheldon turned 14 he would spend his summers with Ryan and Ryan would spend a month here in the winter."

"Em, its July. Why is he here now?"

Emily shrugged her shoulders, "Who cares. He is and he's single, perfect for you!"

"Where is he from?"

"England."

Casey's stomach dropped. She had a flashback to the cute bartender from her brief stint at Oxford. His name was Ryan and he was 2 years older than she was.

"Earth to Casey,"

Casey shook her head and returned to reality. It couldn't be him. There had to be a million Ryan's that live in England. There was no way it could be that Ryan.

"Sorry Em. Let's go meet my potential Prince Charming." Casey said hooking arms with Emily and walking over to where Sheldon was sitting.

"Where's Ryan?" Emily asked as she returned to her spot next to her husband.

"He went to get another round of drinks. You like cosmos right Casey?" Sheldon asked.

Casey nodded her head as she looked around for potential Ryan's. In her search she knocked her purse onto the floor and all of the contents spilled out. She went under the table to collect her things when she heard drinks being set down.

"Casey's here." Emily said cheerily.

"I take it she's the one under the table?" Ryan asked.

Casey froze. She recognized that voice. She quickly finished picking up her things and slowly returned to the top of the table. When she saw Ryan she stopped breathing.

"Casey?" Ryan asked.

Casey just stared. She couldn't believe he was here, let alone her blind date.

"You look really familiar." Ryan said, attempting to make conversation.

"Of course I look familiar, you knocked me up 8 years ago." Casey thought.

"Casey, don't be rude." Emily whispered to her.

Casey reached out to pick up drink. She quickly downed it, in order to enjoy this night she would have to be trashed.

"Waitress!" Casey called, waving her hand in the air.

A waitress came to the table,"5 shots of vodka please"

"What kind?" the waitress asked.

"Top shelf."

"Who's paying?"

Ryan quickly interjected and handed the waitress a credit card,"I got it."

"Thank you Ryan." Casey said.

"You're welcome Casey," Ryan said, "Have you ever been to England?"

"Actually yeah, I went to Oxford for a semester."

"Really? I live in that area. I actually work in the campus bar."

"Oh really? That's so interesting. I used to date one of the campus bartenders."

"Which one?"

"Did any of them ever mention getting a girl pregnant?"

Ryan's face went white.

"Oh my god."

"Oh, now you remember me." Casey spit out as the waitress returned with the shots.

Casey grabbed two of them and slammed them quickly. The other 3 sat there for a moment as Ryan, Sheldon, and Emily just stared at Casey.

"You guys going to take your shots or am I?"

They didn't move. Casey shrugged her shoulders and finished the three remaining shots.

"Another round!" Casey shouted.

"Maybe you shouldn't." Emily said.

"Why not Em? I'm on a blind date with the man who broke my broken heart. How can this night get any worse?"

"Casey, I'm sorry." Ryan whispered.

"Sorry? You're sorry?" Casey asked.

"Yes. Although my memory is a little fuzzy about the details but if I hurt you I'm very sorry."

"Your memory is fuzzy? Well let me refresh your memory! You told me you loved me, we started having sex, I got pregnant and I told you. You told me you would stand by my side, and a week later you were screwing my roommate."

"I did that?"

"It wasn't that long ago Ryan."

"Casey, I never meant to hurt you."

"Well you did. Now where are those shots?" Casey asked looking for the waitress.

The silence was finally broken when the waitress returned with more shots. Casey quickly gulped down one. She wasn't known for her alcohol tolerance, so by this time she was feeling extremely tipsy. She looked at Ryan and scoffed.

"I can't believe you don't remember!"

"I do remember. When I saw you all those memories came flooding back to me. I really did love you."

"Don't try to pull your charming English charm on me!" Casey slurred.

"I'm telling the truth." Ryan pleaded.

"You're all the same. You swoop in with your good looks and smooth words and I become putty in your hands and then you're gone and I'm left all alone to lick my wounds." Casey had to fight the urge to cry. She wouldn't let Ryan get the best of her, again. She stood up quickly and teetered slightly. She balanced herself and grabbed her purse.

"I'm out of here," she said as she turned quickly and began to walk off balanced towards the door.

The three sat there in shock at what they just witnessed.

"She can't drive!" Ryan exclaimed as he jumped up and ran after her.

Emily and Sheldon just stared in disbelief.

"Never setting Casey up again." Emily said.

"Agreed."

"Casey!"Ryan shouted as he got closer making her stop and turn around.

"What?" She demanded.

"I can't let you drive in good faith."

"So what? You're going to be my knight in shining armor and drive me home like the gentleman you believe you are?"

"Somewhat, yes."

"No! I don't want you knowing where I live."

"Casey. Please. You can hurt yourself or worse, you can hurt someone else."

Casey rolled her eyes and threw her keys at him.

"Fine." She surrendered.

The drive to her house was awkward and quiet. The only conversation was Casey giving directions. When they arrived Casey opened the door and fell out of the car. Ryan ran around to the car to help her up.

Casey swatted his hand away, "Don't touch me."

"I'm just trying to help you."

"I don't want your help. Just give me my keys so I can get into my house please."

Ryan just handed her the keys and stood back and watched her fumble with the lock. The door suddenly opened and a brunette male wearing only pajama pants opened the door.

"Casey?" Derek asked looking at the drunken mess on the front porch.

"Derek!"Casey exclaimed leaping forward and wrapping her arms around him.

"Good date?" Derek asked pulling her off of him.

Casey just glared at him.

"I'll take that as a no." Derek said as he looked past Casey and saw Ryan standing there watching the scene.

"Who are you?" Derek asked.

"I'm…" Ryan began when Casey cut him off.

"Derek this is Ryan...the English bartender who knocked me up."

"Wait what?" Derek asked confused.

Ryan walked up and extended his hand out to Derek.

"I wish we could meet under better circumstances but…" then Ryan noticed something just past Derek. He saw Darrell sleeping on the couch and he assumed that it was his child.

"Casey…is that…?" Ryan whispered in a state of shock.

"Didn't you get my message all those years ago? I lost our baby." Casey muttered, tears beginning to form in her eyes.

"You lost the baby?" Ryan asked, walking over to her attempting to comfort her, but Derek stopped him.

"Listen, if you really cared whether or not Casey had the baby or not you would have attempted to make contact way before this."

"I'm sorry." Ryan whispered.

"I think you should go so I can put Casey to bed." Derek said as he turned to walk into the house.

"Could you call me a cab? I drove Casey home."

Derek turned back to him and clenched his jaw. His eyes were filled with rage.

"On second thought, I'll just start walking and call Sheldon." Ryan said as he backed down the driveway.

"It was really nice to see you again Casey" Ryan called over his shoulder.

"FUCK YOU! YOU RUINED MY LIFE YOU ASSHOLE! I HAD TO QUIT COLLEGE TO HAVE YOUR KID! THEN IT DIDN'T WANT TO BE BORN! I WENT THROUGH SO MUCH SHIT FOR YOUR FUCKING ASS! HOW DARE YOU EVEN ATTEMPT TO SAY ANYTHING NICE TO ME! I FUCKING HATE YOUR GUTS YOU FUCKING SPINELESS WANKER!" Casey shouted from the doorway, tears spilling down her face.

Derek pulled her into the house, "Casey, it's after midnight and my 6 year old is sleeping 25 feet away from you. Please refrain from screaming expletives at the top of your lungs."

Casey wiped her eyes, "I'm sorry Derek. he just gets to me. I never wanted to see him again."

Derek pulled her close to him and held her face in his hands, "I'm going to go put Darrell to bed. I want you to go upstairs, put on your comfiest pajamas and we're going to talk."

Casey nodded her head and Derek kissed her forehead.


	9. Dormant Feelings

A/N: This is a LWD fanfic. The storyline is loosely based on the movie "Because I Said So". I don't own either….so enjoy! OH! And it takes place in the future, Casey is 25, Derek is 26, so Lizzie and Edwin would be in college and Marti will be a senior in high school.

Chapter 9: Dormant Feelings

Casey sat on her bed clutching her pillow to her chest, sobbing silently. Derek entered her room quietly and sat on the end of her bed. Casey looked up at him.

"Derek…"She began softly.

Derek scooted closer to her and wrapped his arms around her. She laid her head against his chest.

"I thought I told you to put your pajamas on?" Derek asked looking down at her.

Casey chuckled slightly and pulled out of his embrace. She got off the bed and opened one of her drawers and pulled out something to change into. She motioned for Derek to turn around while she changed. He obliged.

"You can turn around now." Casey said as she was taking her jewelry off.

Derek turned around and did a double take at what she was wearing.

"Are you wearing…?"

Casey looked down and laughed, "Yes Derek, I'm wearing your old hockey jersey."

"Why?"

"I dunno."

What Casey really wanted to say was, "It makes me feel close to you."

"Oh."

"So, I'm exhausted," Casey began as she walked back to her bed and stumbled, "And apparently still a little bit drunk."

Derek jumped off the bed to help her up. He helped her back to her bed, laid her down and then lay down next to her. His hand subconsciously found hers and he intertwined his fingers with hers.

"Derek…"Casey whispered.

Derek released her hand, "Sorry."

Casey rolled over onto her side so she was looking at Derek. He turned his head to look into her eyes. They sat there just looking at each other for a moment. Then Derek leaned in closer and placed a soft kiss on her lips. Casey pulled back and looked at Derek shocked.

"I'm sorry."

"No…I'm just surprised."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm surprised that you're kissing me. You're Derek. You wouldn't hug me. You've actually never hugged me, and now you're kissing me."

"I never hugged you because I was afraid I would try to kiss you."

"What?"

"Casey, I love you."

"Derek…"

"I've loved you for so long Casey."

"Derek…"

"I only left because I couldn't live in a life without you."

"Derek…"

"I'm sorry I hurt you."

Casey kissed Derek.

"Casey?"

"Would you shut up and let me speak?"

"Sorry, go ahead."

"Derek…I love you too."

"What?"

"I love you too."

Derek kissed Casey again, this time more passionate and prolonged. Years of feelings were being released, feelings that were living under the surface for so long. Feelings that were dormant until this very moment.


End file.
